December Newsletter Top 5

One of the secrets to great marketing is to understand what your Sales folks need, what they are trying to accomplish, and the challenges they face every day. So it can be valuable for marketers to read and understand the same books as the Sales folks. But instead of encouraging you to read Miller and Heiman, or Bosworth's solution selling book here are a few of my personal favorites.


A great example of a "sales" book that provides tremendous value to marketers. SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-payoff. In this book Rackham takes us through an approach to selling that will surely help marketers understand the nature of sales tools and messaging they need to provide to their sales teams.


Hope Is Not a Strategy: The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale, Rick Page
Similar in goals to the SPIN selling book, Page's book focuses on the complex sale. He has his own acronym, RADAR. Marketers will appreciate his chapter describing the need for different messaging based on where you are in the sales cycle.

The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness, Jeffrey Gitomer
This is a nifty little sales book and an easy read. It is also nicely packaged and organized, and presents lots of tips to help sales guys succeed. Marketers would do well to pay attention to the sales tips as they will require your help to implement!


Selling To VITO (The Very Important Top Officer), Anthony Parinello
This is a great little book about reaching and then selling to the Very Important Top Officer (VITO). Lots of tips about getting past the gate keepers, and getting them to return your phone calls. Good insights for marketers on messaging to executives.


Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini
Not a book you are likely to find in standard sales book lists, but a gem nonetheless. Professor Cialdini introduces you to the science of how to influence people, which is exactly what marketing and sales want it do!